Friday, November 30, 2018

A Chat With CEO Sharifah Hardie - "Hollywood is an Invitation Only Place"



I had the enormous pleasure of talking to Sharifah Hardie (also known as Ask Sharifah), CEO of XRoadsTV. After just an hour of talking to her I felt inspired, energized and learned so much about the industry, business and the entertainment world. More about her:

Sharifah served a key role as a Consultant and as Director of Marketing of Punch TV Studios. As such, she was able to assist the company to expand its reach, gain national exposure and raise millions of dollars in its Initial Public Offering (IPO). In addition, to the success Ms. Hardie has experienced at Punch TV Studios, she has also consulted with such companies as the Hollywood Film and Acting Academy, Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles, Pit Bull Energy Products, Jordan's Rooter & Plumbing, Southern California Black Business Expo, Radiance Magazine, Sandy Chasteen, BOTI Studios, and countless other businesses.

For those of you who don't know Sharifah, she is based in LA and she is now the CEO of XRoadsTV, a new upstart company that has the ability to meet the high demand for original content quickly, inexpensively and with the potential for licensing on the major networks. "We love producing content for film and television. Having access to distribution is something that is extremely rare for a company that is just starting out. I am just grateful and humbled to have an opportunity such as this," said Sharifah. "Hollywood is an invitation only place and I am definitely enjoying the party!"

XRoadsTV was found on March, 2018. She started it with her business partner Marvin Williams.
Sharifah's journey began 25 years ago. She has been through it all - success, divorce, poverty, homelessness and she has made it to the top through perceiving and believing in herself and working hard. "I wanted to be a stay at home mom but even though I worked from home I never achieved that. I knew the Internet very well before anyone else did and I was ahead of my time. I could build websites and people and companies were impressed," she said. She had to learn SEO, she became a radio host and launched her own radio show in 2009.



In 2009, she also published her first book "And Here's Your Box - From Laid Off to Loving Life," which was about a period in her life where she found her purpose after being laid off. What I love about Sharifah is that she is very spiritual. She believes in God and while she was laid off 8 times she knew there was a reason behind it, a purpose bigger than she could see but felt God was calling her to help people. "Everybody is given a talent to survive. I knew God was pushing me to help people. I was stressing out that I wasn't employed but self-employed. When you look at things differently those things change," she said.

Sharifah was also married and divorced twice in addition to being homeless but her faith kept her going to provide for her and her kids. "I helped build a television network with 50 million dollar IPO. When I was homeless I slept in the TV studio, I did what I had to do. I slept in hotels with crack heads and I worked in the room without stopping. My car got tolled with all my possessions. But as long as I had a laptop with WiFi, a roof over my head and food, I kept working. I was talking to God a lot asking him that he didn't bring me this far to bring me this far. I trusted God and I never did anything illegal," she said.

Sharifah went back on her feet when she drove Uber for a while, which let her save enough money so she could invest in herself. After she found an opportunity with a TV network and being let go, she met with her business partner Marvin who believed in her and since 2018 this year she has been the CEO of XRoadsTV. "My kids said mommy we are hungry. I had to do something," she said. "I can take any business and monetize it. My job is to increase your cash," she said. Her advice to businesses is to use the power of Social Media and invest in Faceboook ads as it is more "cost affective" than other adds. "Post, comment and share," she says.

Sharifah was also ranked Google's No 1 "Professional Business Consultant" by overcoming disappointments, life lessons and victories with a bottom-line technique that reaps success for devoted listeners.

Sharifah also does interviews with celebrities and influencers so if you would like to be featured in her show, get in touch with her. More information below.

Get in touch with Sharifah:

Phone: 562-822-0965
Webiste: XRoadsTV.com 
Social Media: 




Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Chicago African-American Millenial Sets an Example With His Art



I had the pleasure of interviewing 29-year-old Chicago artist Anthony Amos who was brave enough to share his love and passion for art and how he makes money out of it. "My family is known for music and sports, not art. I am the second artist in the family in nearly 100 years. As an African-American you are told to think about your education and that you can't make money out of art and I shouldn't have listened to the negative talk. I would have been way ahead if I didn't," he said.

The first time Anthony fell in love with drawing was when he was 4-years-old. It was his mom who introduced him to a pen and a piece of paper as it was her way of making him stay quiet. Little did she know, she was creating a true artist. Fast forward few years later, his grandmother took him to take art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. This was the beginning to a whole new career for Anthony and a life-changing experience.

"Art kept me off the streets," he says. "I thank my mother and grandmother for the support and introducing me to art."

Art kept Anthony occupied and happy through the years as he experienced tough upbringing. He started with crayons and slowly continued to using more advanced water colors. He even worked as a tattoo artist briefly but because of "a racist" experience he decided to quit and stay focused on his own art.

Anthony finds inspiration in people and animals. His theme is "realism. "My work reveals something about me personally. It represents a longing for connection, a truth about myself and other people," he said. "It reveals there is a desire to be a whole by people, to feel complete. I created my identity through my art," he said.

Anthony's most favorite thing to paint are stars like Mohamed Ali and Mike Tyson as they represent who he looks up to and strives to be, as well as super heroes. "They were people who didn't take shit from anybody and I like that," he said.



Anthony's view of the current state of the art scene is that Social Media is shifting the way art is being viewed. He says that art is being distorted by places like Instagram, etc where the market is over saturated with content and likes. "Artists have to shift from the traditional approach and try other avenues to be successful," he said. "Artists shouldn't assume that following the traditional route is the key to success but believing in yourself and becoming a business savvy artist is key.


He took private lessons and went to the Art Institute of Atlanta for college. But he didn't have enough money to finish so he had to drop out and start working. But even that didn't stop him from following his true passion - his art. 



Believe it or not, Anthony wasn't always as confident in his art as he is now. He suffered a major depression after he dropped out of college, which made him question who he is and what he wants from life. What brought him back is his passion for art and the desire to make a change. This is his first year where he proved to himself and everyone else that he can make not just money as an artist but be remembered. "My goal is to be remembered and leave a legacy behind," he said.


His advice to other artists is: "Fight through it. Keep your head up. Get around some people who aren't talking to you in a negative way. That language is going to ruin you if you accept it and this is what I did."

You can check out Anthony's next exhibit at the Conception Art Show on Dec. 1 at Dovetail Brewery, 1800 W Belle Plaine Ave, Chicago, IL.


Follow Anthony on Social Media:
Instagram: ahmose_nkosi_art

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Chicago based artist wants positive change through his new web series "Lucidity"



Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing inspiring Chicago based artist - Kiba Yeshua Keyy. His story is truly inspiring and I appreciate that he shared it with me.

Kiba is a boxer, yoga teacher, singer, actor, video editor and "a jack of all trades" as he puts it. He is the creator and lead actor in the new web series, "Lucidity." The web series is about unusual super heros with super powers and one ordinary hero who helps humanity and human kind. It is a very original story with original characters and I personally enjoyed watching it.

"My job is to make people happy," said Kiba. "I want to leave a mark for people like me who want to be positive. You can be a positive person and make a living out of it. Just be yourself."

Kiba is originally from Detroit where he grew up under harsh conditions. he came to Chicago to try to make it in the music industry because as he puts it "if you can make it in Chicago as a musician, you can make it anywhere. My job in music is to try to make songs about loving and uniting people and make them sound dark."

Kiba has his own production company called Bvlck Wolf Productions. He created it from the bottom up and he keeps on going. He sees himself as an inspiring entrepreneur. He stared acting as an extra on shows like Empire and Shameless where he met a a lot of talented and like-minded people who helped him create the series.

Kiba's inspiration and a change comes from his tough upbringing. He grew up with a single mother and siblings who fled from his abusive father away to a different city. "One time he tried to kill me," he recalls. So they moved to a safer place in a rural area, which turned out to be as he says "racist". He remembers his family being the only black family in town so he got picked on a lot by a "racist group the cowboys." Because of the many instances where he had to fight and stand up for himself and his siblings, he wasn't allowed to finish high school and he gave up on college. But his strong nature didn't stop him from fighting and finding his own ways to succeed, finding inspiration in music, boxing, yoga and acting.

What I found intriguing about his story is that despite his upbringing and tough life, he takes everything with positivity and love. He is not hostile, angry or negative - in fact quite the opposite. This passion and love he feels towards life and himself can even be seen in his series "Lucidity," which he also edits himself. He is also a self-taught video editor on top of everything else.

"The only reason I made it is because I love myself and I see everyone as myself and I want to help me," he said. "I wanted to have a hero with superpowers that you can see him in everyday life. A person in everything and not stopped by anything. He isn't scared."

In the future he wants to make more money and bring positive change in the world as "people listen to people with money," he says. He is very spiritual and believes in the power of self-love and being free. He also exhibits this belief in his music, which he says is not the typical "gangsta" style rap and hip hop but a positive message in a darker themed songs.



"Lucidity" on Facebook:

More on Blvck Wolf Productions:

Kibi's music page:

Kibi's Facebook"

Kibi's Instagram:
@Keyynuyasha
@Teesocray
@Blvckwolfproductions
@Luciditythewebseries





Thursday, November 15, 2018

Michael Colyar's One Man Show Comes to Chicago in December




I had the pleasure of interviewing Chicago actor, comedian and author Michael Colyar who is coming to the Windy City for three days (Dec. 21-23) to perform his One Man Show ("Michael Colyar's Momma") about his love for God, his mother, his life and how he overcame his 23 years of drug addiction.

What shook me the most about meeting him and talking to him for an hour was his positive thinking, his energy, wisdom and his outlook on life. You rarely meet such people who posses all of those qualities in one. The way he made me feel in this one hour and the way he inspired me is how he will touch the ones who will come and check out his show, which will be performed in 100 cities across America.

Michael's goal is to have charity and church organizations, shelters buy tickets for the drug addicts so that they can benefit and hopefully change their lives from seeing the show and hearing first hand how Michael overcame his addiction.

"A lot of people won't go the other way until they hit their bottom. I had reached my personal low - I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, trying not to wake up my wife, sneaking out watching her cry, feeling bad about myself and feeling guilty about blowing my money and my integrity. I was tired of being that person. I started praying. I said God I want you to make me sick if I try to go near that drug or I think about it and I got to the point where when I thought about cocaine my stomach would bubble up and I would get terrible headaches. I couldn't drive near the street where I would get my drugs. I was physically ill. It was the power of the mind. Now you can put all cocaine in front of me and I won't touch it. I am not tempted. I don't miss it and it doesn't attract me. I am attracted to being a better person," said Michael.

During my interview Michael didn't mostly talk about himself as I expected but he also focused on giving me great advice about the relationship with my mother and what he did to have a great relationship with his. "I love my momma. My mother died 8 years ago (tearing up about his mom). I think about how great she is. Everywhere I go she is with me," he said.

Michael Colyar and his mother / Courtesy of Michael Colyar

In addition to comedy, Michael is in the peak of his life as he puts it. He is busy working on several projects, TV shows, his clothing line, his book and he is in love with a beautiful woman. As he puts it "He is hard to ignore but impossible to forget" and "living the dream." "We all have a choice. If you don't like where you are choose again. I just chose differently for myself," he said.

Michael gives us all a great advice: "As actors when we are on stage we are not supposed to act for the audience we act for ourselves. If you try they see you. Your life is the stage. You are the creator of all of it." His kindness never stops . Michael loves to help the homeless and do what's right. He has been broke 17 times and rich 3 times. He says the secret is to be content with what you have and know that you are already rich now and build from there instead of complaining about "how broke you are." Michael consistently performed every weekend, 5 shows a day on Venice Beach and was dubbed the "King of Venice Beach" while performing 9 years straight. He shared his Star Search prize with the homeless. "I did it because I wanted to help people and I love people. I would feed the homeless and buy them 10 meals. When I gave away $37,000 to a homeless shelter I couldn't touch the ground, I was floating. It was a great feeling," he said.





Michael is best known for his starring roles in Blackish, House Party III, Norbit, The Princess & The Frog, and his role as Mr. Whitaker on the hit television series “Martin”.

His mission for the One Man Show is "to bring to stage a powerful, healing, funny, loving story about redemption, recovery, family, God and the overwhelming energizing liberating power of our Mothers. It will make you laugh, cry and even cheer with Joy as you walk through the life of a true artist, a funny dude and a passionate loving man who will never give up on Life or You. A man who loves who he looks at in the mirror everyday because of his Mother and God."

What was interesting in our conversation is that Michael said he didn't get into his addiction because he had an alcoholic father or an addicted family. "I got into my addiction because I have an addictive personality and I like to have what I want to have. Next thing you know I am stuck in it. I had fun when I was getting high. I was partying but I lost so much from it - jobs, opportunities and friends. I can change my life any point I choose to but which point should I choose. If you don't like where you are choose again and choose different. It is really that easy," he said.

Michael also has a blog for celebrities where they share their personal stories of sobriety called The Happy Beginnings Podcast: https://thehappypod.fireside.fm/.

To purchase tickets to his One Man Show, go to: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3234768 and  http://therealmichaelcolyar.com/shows2/

You can find out more about Michael Colyar and what he is up to at his website: http://therealmichaelcolyar.com/.


Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Genuinely You - The Genuine Approach to Self Help and Fulfillment with Gina Gardiner

Gina Gardiner, CEO Genuinely You


I had the enormous pleasure of talking to Gina Gardiner, CEO and Founder of the Genuinely You  movement. She is also an author with the most current self-help book, called "Thriving Not Surviving." What stroke me the most about Gina is how genuine and caring she is and how the advice she gives to one is more of a look inside the self and soul, which is a rather different approach then many mentors and coaches have. She also had an accident when she was young at a ski trip where she was paralyzed and lost the ability to walk. But even that didn't stop her from empowering and changing the lives of many.


What inspired you to start the Genuinely You movement and what is this movement? 
I have become more and more concerned about the numbers of people I meet and work with who feel isolated or alone, unseen and unheard in their personal life. Some of these are feeling this way because they are single or are recently separated, divorced or bereaved but there are others who despite being in a significant relationship feel they have no one to share their vulnerabilities and dreams with. Others feel isolated professionally. They are fearful of letting their guard down at work in case it is seen as a sign of weakness or they feel under-valued and unheard. Some fear failure whilst others hide their light as they fear success. Many people are using food, alcohol and drugs to numb their pain and this is having a disastrous impact on their physical well being. Anti-depressants now account for 50% of the prescriptions written in the UK. I am passionate about helping people recognize that they have the choice to be happy, to be successful and to live a life full of joy and fulfillment. To help them recognize that they are not broken, that they are enough and to help them access their inner resources to live life fearlessly. I believe my life’s purpose is to be of service. To support as many people as I can has required that I look to do things differently and so I have written ‘Thriving Not Surviving – The 5 Secret Pathways To Happiness, Success and Fulfillment’ and created the Thriving Not Surviving programme. I have created a membership group called ‘The Thrive Together Tribe.’ It is designed to offer people a safe place to belong, to be seen and heard and to feel supported in their journey to happiness, success and fulfillment. Members have access to a structured programme full of tried and tested principles and strategies which are easy to incorporate into daily life. A major purpose of the tribe is to support members of the group, to create and sustain lasting success. We live in incredibly troubled times. Difference and a sense of separation are constantly reported in the media. Many people live in a state of constant fear, which leads to a great deal of stress, unhappiness and depression. This in turn leads to an ever-greater sense of isolation. I believe it is incredibly important to recognize that we are all connected, to look at how we can support and help one another from a place of love, for people to step into their genuine, authentic power.


Often we hear coaches and people speaking about the self-love concept but it always echoes from one ear to the other. Your approach is very genuine. Tell us how and why is it different? 
I think it comes from being authentic and coming from a desire to make a positive difference to others. Over the years, I have learned that to feel happy, to experience love from others and achieve true and lasting fulfillment you have to have a great, loving relationship with yourself. A loving relationship is not pink and fluffy – it is not about being indulgent. It is about recognizing that you are enough – wobbly bits and all. It is about recognizing our vulnerabilities and realizing that these do not diminish us – unless we choose for them to do so. It’s about recognizing that everything we do is a choice – and every choice has consequences. Even not choosing is actually a choice, and it is often when we allow things to drift that the consequences are the most far reaching. It is also about taking responsibility for our own emotional well being, for our actions and our words – or lack of them.

You had an accident when you were young and left you paralyzed and in a wheelchair. What did it take for you to come out as strong and inspiring as you are today changing lives of many? 
I recovered from the paralysis; it was later following two sets of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome that I became wheelchair bound and learned to walk twice as an adult. This is quite hard to answer as I don’t think it was one thing. However, I’d been taught as a child when things feel tough a great way to feel better is to look outside yourself and to do something positive for others. I’d just become the Principle of a school and was determined that the pupils and staff should have the very best learning experience. I’d been very unhappy at school and didn’t want this to be the case at my school. Staying at home would have been torture – it is there that I was at my most limited. I lived on my own – was dependent on carers and couldn’t do anything much other than read, write and watch TV. The alternative was to go to school where there were people who could help with the practical stuff, do a job I loved, make a positive difference to others. It was a no brainer for me.

What is your goal for the Genuinely You approach?
My goal through Genuinely You is to help people recognize that when they choose to step into their real power they can have the courage to live fearlessly. That they have the capacity to love themselves and through that create loving, inter-dependent relationships with others both personally and professionally. That they can be successful and find their true purpose in life. I hope to help people recognize that they are on a spiritual journey – life is an opportunity to learn and grow personally. To help develop the spiritual matriarchs and patriarchs who will help combat the tide of hate, fear and division, which is overtaking many parts of the world. To help our children learn to be confident and open to the possibilities life offers so they can live full and loving lives. (No pressure there then!)



You also have a great book you published called Thriving. How easy to read and how life changing is the book? 
"Thriving Not Surviving – The 5 Secret Pathways To Happiness, Success and Fulfillment" has been designed to be an easy read. It is practical and based on my own experience and that of the many, many clients I’ve worked with. The book has the potential to change lives hugely for the better. Within the book I cover the themes, which have come up time and again. HOWEVER,  the book will only make a difference if the reader chooses to take action. If you always do what you have always done you will simply continue to live life exactly as it is. The grand gesture doesn’t work as it is rarely sustained. Think about how many people join a gym with the express idea of losing weight – yet their membership is not used after the first couple of weeks. Simple things done consistently can and do make a difference. Incorporating one or two of the principles or strategies in the book will make a positive difference. Collectively they can have a HUGE and positive impact on your life and that of those around you. All the research shows that change is far easier to achieve when you are surrounded by ‘like-minded’ positive people. This is one of the major reasons for setting up the Thrive Together Tribe. Membership also gives access to the structured, comprehensive personal and spiritual development programme of videos, activities, themed journal and inter active Internet group coaching sessions. It is a way of deepening and speeding up progress.


What can we do to bring the Genuinely You movement from Britain to the US? 
I’ve already started although at the moment it is on a very small scale. I was in the US in June where I made a TV series – The Genuinely You Show, which is available free from my website www.genuinely-you.com. I also did some TV interviews on NBC and ABC. Please share the link with others – the more people watch, engage and share the better. I have featured on several podcasts, I’m a host on Passionate World Radio – all of these are based in America. I’m available to be a guest on shows, anyone who has a show or could introduce me to other hosts. Any help in spreading the word to others, signing up to be part of the Genuinely You Facebook group and sharing posts would be hugely appreciated. Reading the book and sharing what you liked or found useful. Listening to The Genuine Chats, podcasts, reading the articles and interacting. Better still become a member of The Thrive Together Tribe and help me make a positive difference. For a limited time we are offering a year’s membership for the cost of 1 month. Here is the link.

What other projects are you working on? 
In the short term I’ll be releasing the Personal Empowerment Plan – or PEP talks - a 6 month programme to help people deal with stress and anxiety. Every week a video or PEP talk with share an insight, principle or strategy to help you deal with life when things get tricky. Every one of these has been tried and tested by myself and clients and they work if you use them consistently. Of course, some strategies will suit more than others but having a go will in itself help the user take control of their lives. That in itself is an important step towards feeling less stressed and anxious. I’m currently working to get accreditation for a Leadership programme from CIPD – the biggest organization in the UK to accredit training programmes in the UK. It offers a very different approach to the development of enlightened leadership. I am very concerned about how many people are stressed and made ill because the quality of leadership is bullying or down right toxic. It doesn’t need to be like this. You can have extremely high expectations, which are consistently met by your team if you use the right approach. Leadership has to start with you. So, the programme incorporates the Thriving Not Surviving Personal and Spiritual Development Programme with a leadership programme utilizing the well over 30 years’ experience I have of developing effective, compassionate leaders who bring the best out in others. I am being assisted by Danielle who has many years’ experience in developing leadership too. Those on the programme will be supported throughout by experienced mentors, there will be 1:1 sessions, videos, activities and group sessions. This should be available early next year. Because it can be delivered over the Internet it will be made available in America. If anyone is interested in being on the Pilot or would spread the word that would be great. In the longer term once the Thriving Together Tribe and the Leadership Programme (Name yet to be finalized) It is my plan to set up a Parents and a Young People’s programme. Both of which I hope will be subsidized by the Leadership programme revenue. I have extensive experience in helping youngsters and parents feel empowered and confident and know it has the capacity to make a huge difference. The numbers of youngsters on anti–depressants, self-harming or committing suicide is incredibly worrying and such a waste of potential.

How can people sign up for the Genuinely You movement and find you?
You can sign up through the website or the free app Genuinely You
You can find me on Facebook, LinkedInTwitter, Instagram, Podcasts, YouTube